My Blog Doesn’t Rank and That’s Okay

As a content writer, one of the first things that most new clients ask me is whether I am familiar with the latest SEO techniques. I answer honestly: I am familiar with them. I rarely follow them, but I will apply them on your articles if you desire. Then I ask them if that is what they really want.

Here’s the thing: Our website at Paiyak Development pretty much does not rank on Google searches for any web development keywords. The likelihood that someone will stumble on our blog and decide that they want to work with us is almost non-existent. But that’s okay. Our website is not about SEO rankings. Not all websites have to rank on the first page and not all blogs can. Websites and blogs serve a variety of purposes and not all of those reasons require a huge emphasis on SEO.

What is the point of your website?

As a small development studio working out of Bulgaria, our client base is built through individual connections and word-of-mouth. This allows us to work with loyal clients who value our work. The likelihood that we would get clients who respect the quality of our product and are willing to pay for it through SEO is minimal. Many potential clients would assume that because we are working in Bulgaria that fees are absurdly low or our quality is lacking. Neither of these are true, and so we do not bother with cold conversions.

If we are not looking for new clients through our website and blog, why do we even bother with it? For all of the old-fashioned reasons people used to create blogs. We want to share a bit about our personality and world-views with those who might be interested in them. We want to connect with our clients and peers in a personal, authentic way. We want to be thought of as more than just a few floating voices from the occasional skype call.

Our website and blog are, mostly, meant for our current clients as well as some of our peers, associates, and friends. As such, getting it to rank in a search engine creates stress that we simply don’t want to worry about.

Is ranking worth the investment?

SEO companies would have you believe that you absolutely need to employ the latest SEO techniques on every page of content you create. This is true for some companies. Many small, local businesses depend on SEO for new clients. For example, my brother relies heavily on web traffic to get clients for his garage door repair business and so paying for quality SEO is worth it to him. But many companies over-invest in SEO.

SEO can be exciting. Staying on top of the latest permutations and finding the best methods for increasing your ranking can create an endorphin rush. Seeing your site on the first page of search results can make you feel powerful and like you are doing something right. But do you actually need that ranking?

Increasing your ranking can be exhausting, time-consuming, and expensive. Keeping a high rank in search results is a full-time job for at least one of your team members or requires you to hire an experienced content team to work for you. At times, the requirements to keep your ranking can limit your creativity and your voice. Other times, it can inspire you to think outside of your comfort zone and create amazing content that is truly useful.

Whether you want to concentrate on SEO as a major part of your marketing is a personal decision. If you rely on your website to get new clients, then you most likely need to spend at least a minimal amount of time and money on quality SEO. However, if it is a personal bridge between you and existing clients, you can generally rely on a more organic, social media-powered model that will cause you less stress over time.